High-volume shippers of machinery, fashion retail stock, and automotive parts typically select sealed 20 ft or 40 ft containers for security and predictable landed costs. Example port-to-port transits: New York → Genoa = ≈ 13 days; Shenzhen → Genoa ≈ 25 days.
Italian SMEs often import smaller lots of luxury goods, coffee equipment, and specialty foods via LCL consolidation hubs like Valencia, Barcelona, and Piraeus, arriving in Genoa or Gioia Tauro in 15–25 days door-to-door.
Need 3–5-day delivery? Book air freight into Milan Malpensa (MXP)—Italy’s busiest cargo airport with double-digit growth in 2024—or Rome Fiumicino (FCO), handling 258 000 t of freight last year. (milanomalpensacargo.com) Perfect for rapid replenishment of high-value fashion, urgent machine spares, or pharmaceutical samples.
Container shipping rates to Italy
Origin Ports | Italian Port/Airport | Notes |
---|---|---|
New York / Savannah / Houston | Port of Genoa (IT GOA) | Western Ligurian gateway for North-South Europe trade. portsofgenoa.com |
Valencia / Barcelona | Gioia Tauro (IT GIT) | Mediterranean mega-hub; 3.94 M TEU in 2024. portseurope.com |
Shanghai / Shenzhen | Trieste (IT TRS) | Adriatic rail corridor to Central Europe; ~0.73 M TEU. portseurope.com |
— | Milan Malpensa (MXP) | Italy’s top air-cargo hub, +11.8 % YoY. milanomalpensacargo.com |
— | Rome Fiumicino (FCO) | 258 k t freight in 2024; pharma & express focus.wikipedia.org |
Common Commodities
Restricted or Special-Permit Goods
At minimum: commercial invoice, packing list, and EU customs declaration. Food, wine, and pharma require additional health certificates or import licences.
Not by law, but iContainers strongly recommends marine cargo insurance to cover potential Mediterranean weather delays and port strikes.
Yes—once goods clear EU customs in Italy, they move freely across member states under the Union Customs Code.